In all the years I have been getting the Johns Hopkins
Magazine, I have never seen a comment in your "Letters"
section on the two sure-fire columns that never disappoint
me: "Golomb's Gambits" and the wry satire of Guido Veloce
["Essay"].

The latter's "Enough
About Me" [November 2002] is an inspired example of
wittily and elegantly disemboweling the current bare-it-all
memoirists who awaken the dormant Proust in their breasts in
the mistaken belief that every bit of trivia in their lives
is of abiding interest. If I were one of the CEOs or CFOs
facing prison with untold millions safely tucked away, I
would take Guido Veloce's "Exculpatory Writing" course
without hesitation; I'm sure his fees for the seminar would
be worth every penny of ill-gotten gains.

As for Golomb, I marvel how he manages to come up with
something new every time. I hope both will continue to
amuse, enlighten, and puzzle your readers for a long time to
come.George F. Muller, SAIS '49
Rockville, MD

I read "Ready to
Serve" [September 2002] with great interest. The article
was very well-written. I rejoice that the climate has
changed positively toward the dedicated men and women who
participate in the Hopkins ROTC
program.

The Reserve and National Guard play a vital role in the
defense of our national interests. There is no joy in
military action, but I applaud all who are willing to stand
up as volunteers for the good of our country. The citizen
soldier always has been and always will be indispensable to
our national defense. "Hut-hut."Chaplain (Colonel) Robert A. Foster '50
AUS (Retired)
rubobnc@earthlink.net

Thanks very much for the fine article "Sweet Persistence"
that ran in your November 2002 issue. It is very kind to me,
and reflects the major role Hopkins played and plays in my
life.

However, I note that a headline in the story states,
"Inventor Gil Levin has patented a natural sugar...,"
referring to D-tagatose. While Spherix does hold the patent,
the reader may incorrectly infer that I am the inventor of
record. That is Dr. Lee Zehner who, even though our supplier
had sent us D-tagatose instead of the L-tagatose we had
ordered for our experiment, accepted my suggestion that he
do the experiment anyway. A little serendipity never hurts
persistence!Gilbert V. Levin, Eng '47, '48; PhD '63
Baltimore, MD

Congratulations to Dr. Benjamin Caballero for coming down
against the absurd idea of suing the fast food industry for
widespread obesity. As he stated in your November edition ["The Big
Question"], "Lawyers will not solve this problem. Only
education and responsibility will." Perhaps he could start
by educating the editors of Johns Hopkins Magazine,
who devoted almost a full page to extol the accomplishments
of an alum who ate "3.25 pounds of pancakes in 10 minutes"
[p.58].Sam P. Javedan, A&S '93, MD '97
Phoenix, AZ

The November issue of Johns Hopkins Magazine offered
a valuable explanation of educational terminology to those
concerned with addressing the special needs of students with
learning differences
["Academese," p. 27]. As a clinician in private practice
assisting students pre-K through college and beyond, I offer
the following added information for consideration.

Students with special needs who only receive assistance in
coursework without receiving identification and treatment of
their learning differences as well may appear proficient in
their academic requirements. If the underlying contributing
factors remain unaddressed, however, those students may
continue to experience complications in the same subjects in
ensuing semesters.

It may further aid these students to understand that there
are multiple methods employed to address these differences,
once identified. First, they may receive accommodations, for
instance, untimed testing. Another approach is to use a
bypass strategy, for example, obtaining a waiver of a
required class. The need for accommodations and waivers must
be documented by qualified professionals.

Lastly, it seems preferable to remediate the difference,
along with receiving assistance in the coursework. An
untreated learning difference may become a learning
disability, whereas, once treated, a learning difference may
become a learning ability. Additionally, it is possible to
be both gifted and dyslexic or attention deficit disordered.
For more information, please visit
www.visionsonlearningdifferences.com, a learning
differences newsletter, and
www.overcomelearningproblems.com.Hilda Coyne Learning Specialist Services Provider
Baltimore City Public Schools
Peabody Prep '77

I recently returned to Johns Hopkins Hospital after 45 years
for a visit. I was overwhelmed by the changes. Previously,
the corridors were filled with staff in white uniforms. Now
it seems that everything has been replaced with new
buildings.

The poem that follows was inspired by my experiencing the
pains of "you can't go home again."

I felt as if it belonged to me;
Its lofty towers, the mighty spires.
When I returned many years to see
The changes in the sunlight, many fires.

Still the figure said, Come unto me.
Many times weary had I paused awhile
Now no Lady with the Lamp did I see
Only many changes made with brick and tile.

No bricks and tile can ever replace
The long years of toil and tears
The merciful with love on their face
Changes in the nighttime, many years.